Odd thing today.

[3 gun Gus]

I got up from my loading bench today and as I walked though shop I could hear my black labs nails clicking on the floor behind me. Nothing unusual about that except he passed away 8 years ago.

Gus

[skeettx]

Gus
You are blessed !!
Awesome
Mike

[Taylor]

He's still keeping an eye on you.

[wlc]

Nothing odd about that at all. My setter has a personality complex. I call her several of my late dog's names on a regular basis depending on which one comes closest to her current actions. She just looks a me like she's saying it'll be ok pop, it'll be ok.

[FISH4BUGS]

Our house cat was put down a month ago. I have seen him a few times in the house.

[richhodg66]

Our house cat was put down a month ago. I have seen him a few times in the house.

Ain't that the truth. We had a big, loveable one who got outside and got killed a few years ago, the house was like a tomb for a long time. He used to always sit on my wife's upright piano which was positioned close to a doorway we all had to walk right past frequently. I'd swear I saw him sitting there for a few years after he was gone sometimes.

Pets really do get under your skin, don't they?

[leeggen]

My big male pyriness died about 1 1/2 yrs. ago and I can still hear him bark at ciyotes at night in the field. Gives you the willes and then a good feeling comes over you for thinking about them.
CD

[noisewaterphd]

The human brain is an amazing, amazing piece of equipment. Just goes to show how much a part of you he was.

Even the worst dog will manage to steal your heart.

[4719dave]

Brings tears to me missing my best friend of 14 years ..I would trade her for more then 3/4 of the people I know ..

[aspangler]

I have lost many in my life and the only way to get on with it is to get another. I'll always miss the ones that have gone on but I'll survive because the one I have now is my "Good Girl". They are a part of us and always will be.

[MaryB]

My black lab Misty died from cancer 20 years ago. I can still hear her barking in the backyard some days... look out and not a dog in sight...

[Frank46]

We lost our cairn terrier some years back. Had her for I don't know how many years. Kept feeling like something was walking across the bed at night while I slept. Over that time I've caught a couple of flashes of her. We've had dogs for years and sometimes one of them will get up and look st something, when we look we see nothing. Frank

[Col4570]

One thing that springs to mind when reading this thread is the compassion you all express for your Pets that have gone on.They want little from us,just love,good Food,play and walks,in return their loyalty is unconditional.I have lost some over the years but they remain in my thoughts.http://i1052.photobucket.com/albums/s452/livebattery/LULU04082012001.jpg (http://s1052.photobucket.com/user/livebattery/media/LULU04082012001.jpg.html)
Lulu my present boss who is still very much with us.

[gandydancer]

I would give all I have to catch a glimpse of my dog patch gone 22 years now I think of her every day or any of my dogs i've lost over the years. You will find no greater love.

[NavyVet1959]

When I hear sounds like that, it's just my bones and joints creaking as I move. :(

[M1A4ME]

I can't say I've seen/heard any of my passed on dogs. I do sometimes catch myself telling them good night when I come into the house for the last time in the evening. I have a habit, after their last walk, of putting them in the pen, feeding them and giving them a dog biscuit. Then, as I open the back door I turn and call out there names and tell them good night. We had the boys for 15 years. I guess it's just a habit.

[Hickok]

I have lost many in my life and the only way to get on with it is to get another. I'll always miss the ones that have gone on but I'll survive because the one I have now is my "Good Girl". They are a part of us and always will be.I have found that to be the only way too. As hard as the loss is, you have to fill that void empty place in your life.

I always remember what Billy Graham said years ago about dogs in heaven.



161174

[w5pv]

I have had several dogs that I loved but the one that always stick in my mind was named Rastus and he died when I was about 4 years.He was a guardian and companion.Mother said two times when I was younger that he saved me from harm one was when kept me from getting snake bite and the other was when the water was high that he dog came home with me and both of us was wet he was either in the back water with me or pulled pulled me from the water I don't know which.He was always protective of me and my brother when strangers was around he always stayed between us and the strangers and let them know not to fool with us.I have never had another dog like that.I have now a Yellow BlackMouth Cur dog that is getting to be very protective of me he will let any one know that he doesn't like them being around me and other family members.
o

[Half Dog]

Like most of you, I have had more than one faithful pet in the past. I have been the one that took them on their last car ride when their suffering was great. I miss each one but it gave me a chance to explain the designed cycle of life to the kids.

[flyingmonkey35]

Love all my pets. And they love me back. Well my daughters cat is a bit prissy.

[bedbugbilly]

We never had kids so our dogs were and are our kids. We've had quite a few over the years, every one of them "special". Gus . . . you Lab is still watching over you and always will . . . and you Lab is just letting you know that.

After I lost my Lab mix, I swore I'd never get another dog . . . just hurts too much when you loose them. But a couple of months later, the wife and I went to pick up dog food for our other dog and I came home with a 10 pound Poodle that was a rescue dog. My wife laughs at me as I always said I never wanted a "fru fru" dog, but, she's a great companion and totally devoted to both of us. I did a lot of thinking about it and decided that there are way too many dogs out there that need a good home and lots of love to not do my part to give it to at least one. You enjoy and love them while they are there with you . . . even after they are gone they are still with you . . . and when the time is right for you, you adopt another one to give it a good life and the best of care.

Gus . . . maybe your old Lab is giving you the hint that it's time to move on and get another dog to love and take care of? It's not that you are forgetting or being disloyal to your Lab . . . it's telling you it's O.K. and to give you a little "push" to find another dog that needs you as much as you need it. After all . . . we all know what "dog" spells backwards.

[Blue2]

I am in the 60-plus crowd. Our family has always kept two and sometimes three family dogs. As a believing "born again" Christian I expect to meet family and lost friends in the here-after. I truly hope that some of my former canine pals will be there to share the next life with as well.Only two pure breeds-the rest were rescue animals. Mind you I have had to put a couple down over the years that were just rotten scoundrels and they may or may not be glad to see me if we both arrive at the same destination.

[Hickok]

I am in the 60-plus crowd. Our family has always kept two and sometimes three family dogs. As a believing "born again" Christian I expect to meet family and lost friends in the here-after. I truly hope that some of my former canine pals will be there to share the next life with as well.Only two pure breeds-the rest were rescue animals. Mind you I have had to put a couple down over the years that were just rotten scoundrels and they may or may not be glad to see me if we both arrive at the same destination.Well said brother.

[LUBEDUDE]

Sometimes while looking out the window, in the the corner of my eye, I will catch my old Companion laying on her hill doing gaurd duty protecting my me and the premises. That was her daily job throughout her days.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160217/e79fb30662f7a0c80ad13c16f52c3232.jpg

[gandydancer]

Like I said. there is no greater love,

[smokeywolf]

Timber is going to be the hardest one to lose. He is more integrated into the family than any K9 I've ever seen or known of.
161496He just turned 9. He's starting to slow down some, but hopefully we'll be able to keep him in good health for at least 5 more years.

I still get choked up about sending Sammy to the Rainbow Bridge. He was a white Malamute/Arctic Wolf mix, 12-1/2 years old and in multiple organ failure and I had to let him go. We had rescued him from the pound when he was about 18 months old. He was our first wolfdog.

It's not fair that they live such a short time.

[castalott]

Yes.....Animals are full of love...I've had many good ones but still miss "Jughead" the most. He was a goofy thing....I swear he would laugh with me.... Play jokes on me... Black and Tans rule...

[blademasterii]

161502 This was my baby "dinner". She passed away unexpectedly a few weeks ago. We finally found another mini rex that my parents were kind enough to go pick up 3 hours north of us. The new girl is 5 months old and all black. She is doing her best to give us the love of her predecessor. A lot of the mannerisms are the same but still her own. We can never replace the ones we lose, only remember them with love and find a new one to love just as much. My stomach was dinners favorite spot for a nap and the new one doesn't like to be held much yet. Hopefully in time she will calm down and enjoy a nap like her predecessor. 161503 Meet truffle.

[375supermag]

Hi...

I truly understand the OP's point.

We had to put down our last Lab Wesson, a big black male, last summer at 14-1/2 years old.

I still hear him walking around the house. We went out and bought two Lab male puppies(litter mates) to fill the void he left in our lives.

Thor, a yellow Lab and Loki, a black Lab have more than filled the empty space in the house but, Wesson is still here...in our hearts.

[OS OK]

They are truly the only source on this planet of 'unconditional' love. All of ours have been either rescue or from the pound. The wife and I just pick one that seems to be speaking to us in some special way, it's in their eyes, wish we could take them all. Our home, wherever we have lived has always been a magnet for lost or stray animals, can't explain that one.
After my last dog 'Buddy' I swore that I'll never suffer that loss again…he was the special one of 60 years or so with dogs. One day the wife comes home from shopping and out of the car pops 'Bubbie', a youthful and crazy jumping all around Boxer, just rescued 'jailbird' from the pound and I wasn't ready for that again…well…an hour later I was smitten. He has been my faithful pard since that hour…amazing athletes these Boxers.
Our felines are the same story…same history…the funny thing…they all hang tight together, guess that they think Bubbie is just a big cat.

We too have had our animals hang around after their passing…there's another world all around us that we don't see.

[Blackwater]

I think God gave us dogs (which is "God" spelled backwards, and not by coincidence, I think), so that we'd all have an opportunity to see what unconditional love is really like in this life. It doesn't matter if you've just committed a murder. Go home and your dog will be elated to see you return, and he'll show it vigorously. If that's not humbling, which I think is the natural state of a real, true Christian who's really trying to walk the walk, and not just talk the talk, then I don't know what could be.

We're told that dogs don't have souls like we humans do, but it wouldn't surprise me if God didn't make an exception when it comes to dogs. I guess we'll have to wait to find out, though, for sure. All I know is that if they don't have souls, they surely live on within US, just as we live on after death through God and Christ and the Holy Spirit. Either way, I know God did the right thing, and he gave us dogs, which have related to man like no other animal on earth ever has or would or could.

Other animals can be conditioned to display some affection, but I always wonder if it's me or us that they love, or what we can do for them. With dogs, their glee and real affection is so clear it can't be missed, just for being near us and with us. Maybe God gave us dogs so we could get an inkling of just how much He truly loves us?

There's no "objective" answer to this, but it's how I've come to regard a really good dog. Show me a man who mistreats a dog, and I'll show you a man who can't be trusted in any material way. Show me a man who cares for and actually returns his dog's love, and I'll show you a man who I can do business with without any sort of signed contract. With the former type, even a signed contract is no guarantee things will be done as outlined.

As we've become conditioned to the legal thinking of lawyers and wanna'be MBA types, we tend to forget the eternal truths, like these "little things." And we forget them at the cost of our own diminishment. The "old ways" aren't outdated. They aren't really "old," even! The simple things and truths in life seem to be forever "young," and have to be constantly re-learned, even several times within one man's lifetime. Ain't it funny how we humans work?

[LUBEDUDE]

I've never trusted a man that did not like dogs.

It usually proved out.


http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160221/9c74b20b54b212a6e780100fc045edda.jpg


Is this a Buck or a B with an itch? :)

[TXGunNut]

A feral momma cat adopted me a few years back and had kittens in the bed of my truck. It was a petty safe haven for them until they were almost weaned and could find their way out. One of the kittens, Smoke, stuck around for awhile and would launch himself off the porch rail and bounce off the back door when he was hungry. He disappeared awhile back but every now and then he bounces off the back door.
My dog Buddy has been gone for a few years but I still tell him when it's bedtime. He would always run & jump into bed before me except on the nights I stayed up late. On those nights he would slip off and go to bed alone.

[DCP]

Miss Me – But Let Me Go!
Author Unknown

When I come to the end of the road
And the sun has set for me
I want no rites in a gloom-filled room.
Why cry for a soul set free?

Miss me a little – but not too long
And not with your head bowed low.
Remember the love that we once shared,
Miss me – but let me go.

For this is a journey that we all must take
And each must go alone.
It's all a part of the Master's plan,
A step on the road to home.

When you are lonely and sick of heart
Go to the friends we know
And bury your sorrows in doing good deeds.
Miss Me – But Let me Go!

She is with me always

[snuffy]

A fella had a website about rustic living, he called himself "coug-two-wolves". He had a springer he named Ranger. Pretty much his best buddy, hunted with him and all.

When he passed his eulogy was titled "footprints on my soul". That pretty much sums up how the dogs of my life have affected me. Each has left an imprint on my life experience I remember each of their personalities as unique and special.

The latest is by far the most loving, dedicated dog I've ever had. He literally won't let me out of his sight. I firmly believe that Golden Retrievers are the most affectionate, loving dogs there are. My son and daughter-in-law bough me and Arrow a new bed for combination Christmas/birthday gift. he took

to it immediately161534 like he was saying MINE!

161535

He's 11 now, getting slower and gray muzzle. He has a mass on his ribcage, the vet says it a fatty tumor, but it's growing to interfere with his R-F leg. I'll have it removed pretty soon. I certainly hope it's not cancer. I don't know what I'd do if I lost him. I live alone, he's my companion to the point of being almost human. At 70 myself, and in poor health, can't see getting a puppy. Losing a human is hard for a dog, but they will adapt. My son and one nephew said they would take care of whatever I would get, most likely another golden.I

[Nose Dive]

I got up a few nights ago and went to the door and after opening it, held it open with one hand. It was about 02:30 AM.

After a few minutes, my wife hollered, "what are you doing?!"... My response was, 'holding the door open for Maggie".

The wife's immediate response was "WAKE UP FOOL! Get back in bed!" I complied.

Maggie was my yellow lab we put down in November. I was at the bathroom door.

Nose Dive.

Cheap, Fast, Good. Kindly pick two.

[OS OK]

Sorry Nose Dive…God, I know how that hurts.

[Teddy (punchie)]

Been many years Like 32 sense I lost my first true Buddy. 1.5 Beagle I trained. I was 15 and just a mistake that made her die . But I would have to say it was a life changing event. I truly understand the pain and best memories. Taking me back in time and year was very hard. Was no one, much for talking about it. Being a farm kid you just suck-it-up. So was no talks with love ones and no time to dwell on the loss. She was not my first pet to lose but was one that hurt the most. I know it changed me from that time on. To date I feel sad for loss but never that bad as then. Truly was heart broken.

My dad says I'm like Granddad. The way I hunt, take animals lives on the farm. I respect and care for all animals but understand why we have need for them. But true be told, I just lost something in me some 32 years ago. Only thing I think, I care for that much in life is, My girls they are 9 and have taught me to truly love again. Sure I dislike them at times, the smart little mouths, not doing what asked, playing and fight that they do to one another. Just like now both asleep a just look like Gods little children, they'll be up and making noise soon, thus starts an other day.

[bensonwe]

My buddy Sam had to go back to the ex this past weekend, and just last night he woke me in the middle of the night trying to push me off the bed. I told him to lay on his side and go back to sleep. About an hour after that, I woke and started looking for him. Sure do miss that dog!!

[HABCAN]

Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

[cliff55]

So many gone. Miss them all

[smokeywolf]

I never can read the "Rainbow Bridge" tale without shedding a tear.

[DCP]

I never can read the "Rainbow Bridge" tale without shedding a tear.

Plus 1

[27judge]

My wife has the rainbow bridge in a frame on our bedroom wall we think very high of our past with cats and dogs. tks KEN

[JWFilips]

Fear not: they are all with us; just on a different plane: When one plane gets close to the other.... And you become aware; Things like this happen! If you are highly attuned then they happen more frequently! You all didn't loose them they are just the other side of the door!
Not sure if you all can open that door & (fully): but getting close gives you what you are all experiencing!
Jim